Project on the field Romania

Present in Romania since 1992, Terre des hommes (Tdh) has for many years been combating the trafficking and exploitation of particularly vulnerable children in this country, concentrating mainly on children who are potential migrants because of poverty and marginalization. In order to reach them, direct interventions in their places of origin proved to be efficient, combined with constant support to the social assistance system in rural areas.

Improvement of the Child Protection Safety Net

I. 1. Empowerment of the local social system
By putting in place a child protection network focused on children at risk, living in rural communities of Dolj County, in the south west of the country, Tdh is working in collaboration with the responsible institutions to prevent the scourge of child exploitation and trafficking. Since 2009, Tdh continues to invest in the training of community actors – social workers, Roma mediators and teachers; starting with the year 2011, this process is based on a Protocol of collaboration with each mayor from these municipalities. The aim of empowering the local actors is to guarantee them a better understanding of their role in child relief, by putting prevention in the front line of their daily activities.

While carrying on its strategic lines of intervention, from the beginning of 2011, Tdh has passed to a new phase, based on the “Convention of Collaboration with the General Direction for Social Assistance and Child Protection Dolj” The project will keep its three main key access points to the children and their families in need: the direct activities, the prevention work through local networks and strengthening of the system .

I.2. Combating early school drop-out

Tdh is combating poverty, segregation and social exclusion of particularly vulnerable children, especially of those from the Roma communities who live in extremely precarious conditions. A programme to prevent early school drop-out has involved the creation of study clubs, initially in five municipalities, extended later to 15, where literacy skills, school support/reintegration and psycho-social activities are provided.

I.3. Get up and MOVE!
The improvement of psychosocial and methodological skills of active leaders, teachers, sports coaches and social workers enables the psychosocial development of children through movement, games and sport (MGS). This type of activity has brought visible improvements for the child’s harmonious development inside his/her family, peer group and community.

The activities are coupled with the study clubs and are being carried out both during the school year and during the summer holiday, due to the dedicated involvement of the trainers and the numerous animators who accompany the children. Both in Dolj and Bucharest, the MOVE project organizes punctual events where vulnerable and non vulnerable children experience alternative games together, and county or national authorities have the opportunity to get directly involved and know the MGS tool through first-hand experience.

II. Networking and Advocacy

At the national level, Tdh put in place a strategy bringing an increased visibility of the Foundation in the rich and competent context of the NGOs and international organisations that are active in Romania. Tdh is now part of different national networks targeting social inclusion issues.

The close relationship with complementary NGOs from the areas of education, community development and human rights will be made more concrete by creating a Consortium, meant to propose integrated projects addressing marginalized children and their families from more Romanian counties.

The implementation of the general strategy of supporting the existing social system at the local level is periodically shared with and presented to significant actors like UNICEF and the General Direction for Child Protection from the Ministry of Labor, Family and Welfare.

II. REVENI – Transnational monitoring of return procedures for Romanian and Bulgarian children

In addressing the complex issue of EU unaccompanied children, the 18-month project selected two important migration flows: from Romania to France and from Bulgaria to Greece, therefore involving four partners from these concerned countries: Terre des hommes Romania, Hors la Rue (France), Alliance for Children and Youth (Bulgaria), and ARSIS – Association for Social support of Youth (Greece). The transnational team will raise concern and search for adequate assistance also for the less frequent cases of Romanian unaccompanied minors in Greece and for the Bulgarian unaccompanied minors in France.

The case by case monitoring, the research on the best practices in the four countries and the analysis of the gaps in the repatriation procedures will be supported by the facilitation of an exchange meeting between judicial stakeholders from the countries of destination and social workers from the countries of origin. All these actions are aiming at establishing a common procedure of collaboration intended to improve the protection and the assistance provided to vulnerable EU unaccompanied minors.

Contact:
Joseph Aguettant , Country Representative
Terre des hommes Foundation – Romania, Zece Mese Street n. 7 – Sector 2
024061 Bucharest – Romania